Global Packaging Alliance Holds Annual Meeting in the Americas

Rochester, NY, March 08, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The Global Packaging Alliance (GPA) held its annual meeting in the United States and Mexico during the week of January 19, 2009. With members convening from all over the world, the yearly event was a much-anticipated chance to discuss strategies and goals for the upcoming year.

GPA members spent the first half of the week at Diamond Packaging’s facility in Rochester, NY. Members shared the latest developments in their packaging operations, including new equipment, technical advancements, materials, and productivity improvements. The meeting also provided an ideal forum for members to discuss trends in their respective markets, with special consideration given to the current state of the global economy.

“Packaging is an essential part of life, and remains relevant despite the vagaries of economic cycles,” said Alex Commins, managing director of Colorpak Limited and secretary of the GPA. “The GPA continues to focus on ways and means of building greater operational efficiencies into our business through techniques such as lean manufacturing. Now more than ever our customers rely on us to be at maximum efficiency. Furthermore, our ability to share our local experiences and benchmark on a global basis is an advantage shared by few peers of our size. The end result being that our customers benefit from dealing with organizations that are focused, flexible, and world class in their outputs.”

The second half of the week was spent visiting GPA locations in Mexico, including Cartmont’s facility in Tlalnepantla, and Gonçalves’ new facility in Mexico City.

The Global Packaging Alliance is an international organization of independent packaging experts proficient at managing all aspects of the supply chain. With state-of-the-art production facilities and logistics centers around the world, the GPA provides responsive, localized service, award-winning creative designs, identical product specifications and consistent brand recognition, resulting in unparalleled global packaging support. Members include:

Diamond Packaging - Rochester, NY USA
rlc | packaging group - Hannover. Germany
Colorpak Limited - Melbourne, Australia
Gonçalves SA Indústria Gráfica - Sao Paolo, Brazil
Polygrafoformlenie-Flexo - St. Petersburg, Russia
Yau Bon Offset Printing - Shenzhen, China
Cartmont Packaging - Tlalnepantla, Mexico
Kumar Printers - Gurgaon, India
Masterpack - Johannesburg, South Africa

GPA members practice packaging management geared toward the needs of international companies, including Bayer, Beiersdorf, GlaxoSmithKline, Kraft Foods, L’Oreal, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Schering Plough, and Unilever. This includes designing and producing innovative paperboard and plastic packaging, as well as providing logistical services such as fulfillment and POP management. The GPA’s goal is to support clients in launching new brands or products, while significantly reducing time-to-market.

For more information about the Global Packaging Alliance, contact Dennis Bacchetta at (585) 334-8030 x229 or visit the website at www.global-packaging-alliance.com.

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